Hipkins’ ALP colluder has worked for NZ Labour

More details on the Australian Senator’s chief of staff named as the person who colluded with Chris Hipkins over citizenship questions – he was a New Zealander who has worked in Parliament here for Helen Clark, Michael Cullen and Phil Goff.

A former staffer for former Prime Minister Helen Clark and Finance Minister Michael Cullen was the Australian Labor Party staffer who spoke to Labour MP Chris Hipkins, prompting questions by Hipkins about citizenship in Australia.

The Sydney Morning Herald has reported Marcus Ganley, Australian Senator Penny Wong’s chief of staff, was the Australian Labor Party staffer who had spoken to Hipkins – a conversation Hipkins said prompted him to ask questions of Internal Affairs Minister Peter Dunne on the legal citizenship status of an Australian born to a New Zealand father.

Ganley was an adviser to former PM Clark and former Finance Minister Cullen during the Labour Government until 2008. He then advised Phil Goff as Opposition Leader.

Hipkins worked as a policy adviser to Trevor Mallard and Helen Clark prior to becoming an MP in 2008, initially under Clark’s and then Goff’s leadership.

In a written statement, Wong said a staff member in her office had “informal discussions with New Zealand friends about domestic political issues, including the section 44 debate.”

She said the questions Hipkins asked were not asked on behalf of Australian Labor.

“At no point did [Ganley] make any request to raise the issue of dual citizenship in Parliament, a fact confirmed today by Hipkins and the New Zealand Labour Leader.”

So, prompted by Ganley, Hipkins did some digging on citizenship here, supposedly having no idea about the interest in Barnaby Joyce’s citizenship status.

Was it general dirt digging by two individuals independent of their parties? If so they have both seriously embarrassed their parties, and raises questions about the way they operate.

Julie Bishop, the Australian Foreign Minister, has said she would find it difficult to work with NZ Labour, prompting a strong response from Ardern.

Hipkins is currently the sixth ranked Labour MP, he is 7th on the party list for this election, and is Labour’s Shadow Leader of the House.

Gezza

There’s plenty of evidence we kiwis are not very popular there anyway.
Is your kid planning to stand for election to Parliament over there? Has he or she got Aussie citizenship & renounced their NZ citizenship yet?

Blazer

artcroft

The trouble here is NZ Labour have conspired to bring down the Aussie govt. How does this help me? It doesn’t. NZL will now find themselves at daggers drawn with any Liberal Aussie Govt. How does this help me? It doesn’t.

This always had a huge downside and no upside. That’s why Skippy is a muppet.

Gezza

NZL will now find themselves at daggers drawn with any Liberal Aussie Govt. How does this help me?

So what? Barnaby Joyce wasn’t eligible to be an Australian Parliamentarian because of their law & his failure to check like they all should if they or a parent come from anywhere else. How is this NZ’s fault? It’s their fault. Specifically, it’s Barnaby Joyce’s and/or their Constitution’s fault. Julie Bishop shouldn’t be making an ass of herself over this.

Gezza

PDB

Perhaps – but it does call into question his character and the fact NZ Labour are obviously lying by saying he was asking ‘random’ questions without realising why he was asking the questions. That story is beyond belief.

Gezza

The bigger question is how the fuck did they end up with a deputy proy meeneesta (to use their term) who’s not even eligible to be in their Parliament? No wonder Bishop’s got her knickers in a twist. She might as well be wearing them on her head, given this state of affairs. They need to get their own shit together & stop trying to blame their incomptence on people who’re just pointing it out.

Blazer

The revelation that a former Clark/Goff insider was using Hipkins as a conduit to try and damage the Australian government puts a whole new perspective on this issue. It’s certainly cut Ms Ardern’s leadership honeymoon short.

Gezza

Well, sooner or later the honeymoon was going to be over. I think most of us knew that. Julie & Barnaby’s has gone for a Burton too. These things happen with people in politics who aren’t sharp enough.

Sorry Gezza. I read it somewhat differently. You have a vastly experienced NZ politician in Chris Hipkins. He’s been an MP for 9 yrs, the Shadow House Leader, a former Chief Whip, a former Foreign Affairs SC member and he’s the one colluding with a foreign political operative.

He is actively interfering in a foreign government’s ability to govern with a one seat majority.

A very, very bad look especially when he’s fudging ( lying) about knowing why it was wrong.

Blazer

Love the way you declare left politicians as LIARS…without the hard evidence,that you demand if it is suggested the right wing are …lying.Double standards that you show every single day,of every single week.

Mr Hipkins is a PUBLIC figure, on my payroll and he is accountable TO THE PEOPLE. I am not.

For once try to stop threadjacking, your endless, dull and unconstructive personal attacking of posters here, in particular, me, and stick to the issue as pit forward by the ever patient Pete George.

Mr Hipkins is a VASTLY experienced politician on all levels. He is friends with Penny Wong’s COS. Other than an attack on me I’m assuming you believe Hipkins is being truthful and that when he was asked to ask this question he had no idea of his friend’s motivation. You’d have had to have been in a time capsule and utterly politically inclined not to have seen what has been happening with citizenship issues, though largely in the Senate.

I will state again that I think this can be seen in the light of, at the very least, gross interference in the parliament of a foreign government.

Blazer

this is a forum for robust debate.If you can’t back yourself,stand the heat,get out of the…kitchen.As if you deserve to go unchallenged with your outrageous opinions.There are echo chambers where everyone will agree with you.

Blazer

you make sweeping statements and do not hold the right to the same standards as you do the left.I can say I think Bennett is lying,and the predictable response will be…if you have evidence present it.She meets all the criteria you list for Hipkins ,as due scrutiny except her politics align with your own.Never mind your faux outrage ,be consistent instead of being…all bra and no…bosom.

PDB

Gezza

If you have evidence he was paid by some Aussie taxpayers to ask questions about New Zealand citizenship, & you think that’s a crime, why don’t you report him to the New Zealand & Australian police? Report back on their responses?

You think this is a good look? We saw how people took against the Greens for illegal activity and this interfering in foreign governments is not nice. I’m pissed we pay him to do this sort of stuff when he should be fighting for Kiwis.

This Guy Fawkes stuff might have a statute in the annals that can be invoked. 😉

Blazer

Patzcuaro

I don’t think there are any similarities between Turei and the Greens and Hipkins and Labour. This is a storm in a teacup caused by inane rules over who can be a member of parliament in Australia. That the rules are so tight as to catch someone in Joyce’s position is ludacrice, it is a rod to break their own backs. They should make the rules more sensible.

Can’t see much downside for NZ as we are second class already, I guess they could relegate us to third class.

Over here the focus is on Labour, National can’t sleep work to victory this time. As I said above the worst thing in politics is to irrelevant.